Amaury Monsalve coached baseball at D.C. schools for more than 25 years. He is now in an ICE detention facility in Louisiana, far from his family in Virginia.

On Monday, Nov. 9, his players and parents gathered at Jackson-Reed High School after Monsalve sent a recorded phone message from detention, DC News Now reported.

"Thank you, everybody. Thank you for helping me," Monsalve said in the recording. "Thank you for caring about my family. Thank you for caring about me."

Patrick Quinn, a ninth grader, said hearing from his coach brought relief. "It's just really good to hear that he is OK because we know it's really bad, really hard for him down there," Quinn said.

Monsalve, originally from Venezuela, is a husband and father of two who lives in Virginia. He coached at Alice Deal Middle School, Jackson-Reed High School and H.D. Woodson High School, according to WTOP. His students call him "Coach A."

How he ended up in custody

On Oct. 18, D.C. police pulled Monsalve over while he was working as a chauffeur, his wife, Aniushka, told NBC Washington. A police report listed offenses including possession of an unregistered gun, ammunition, an open container of alcohol and a controlled substance, WTOP reported. Monsalve and all seven passengers were arrested.

The U.S. Attorney's office confirmed to WTOP that it did not file charges against Monsalve or any of the passengers.

Monsalve's family said he had a previously scheduled immigration court hearing Oct. 19. His attorneys attended the hearing while Aniushka waited outside, she said. He never emerged.

"My son was coming out telling me, 'Mom, ICE took him,'" Aniushka told WTOP. "We only found out because they were closing."

Within days, he was transferred to a detention facility in Louisiana.

Competing accounts on his status

His family said Monsalve had permanent resident status and was seeking U.S. citizenship. His wife told NBC Washington his citizenship application was denied after an error was found on his permanent residency paperwork, which he had filled out with an attorney.

Robert Carmona-Borjas, CEO of the Arcadia Foundation, told WTOP that Monsalve's difficulties "stem … from serious errors made by a former immigration attorney more than 20 years ago, when Amaury had limited command of English."

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson gave a different account to DC News Now. The spokesperson said Monsalve was admitted on a temporary basis in 2003, failed to depart, and obtained a green card in 2006. On March 28, 2025, he was placed into removal proceedings for alleged fraud or misrepresentation to obtain immigration documents, the spokesperson said.

ICE said his green card was revoked following immigration fraud proceedings and that a judge ordered his removal Oct. 19, according to WTOP.

An immigration judge denied Monsalve's bond, DC News Now reported. His attorney, Ava Benach, said the legal team has appealed both the bond order and the removal order.

"We appealed the bond order. We appealed the removal order, and, we'll have to let those processes go. We're not to forget about him. We're going to come together, we're going to speak out," Benach said.

In his recorded message, Monsalve said he is keeping up his fight. "Every morning I start my battle, exercising my body, keeping training, getting my body strength. My family is my strength," he said.

Theo Chatterji, another ninth grader, said hearing from his coach meant something. "I know he's in a rough situation, but to know that he's, like, standing strong and even going through all this stuff he's still doing it, and it's nice to hear that," Chatterji said.

Mark, 14, who played for Monsalve at Deal Middle School for three years, told WTOP that his coach made the game open to everyone. "When he coached me, he was always trying to uplift everyone, and he was trying to make sure everyone had an opportunity to play, no matter how much money they had or how good they were," Mark said.

Monsalve's family has set up a GoFundMe campaign to cover legal costs and offset the loss of the family's main income, according to PoPville.